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LEARNING TO PRAY 


HOW JOHN 
BECAM E A MAN 

Life Story of a Motherless Boy 




ISABEL C^BYRUM 


Author of “The Pilot’s Voice,” “Happy Hours at Home,” 


“Twilight Talks with the Children,” etc. 


REVISED AND ENLARGED 


GOSPEL TRUMPET COMPANY 

Anderson, Indiana, U. S. A. 


Copyright, 1917, 
by 

Gospel Trumpet Company. 


fO' ^ ?■. \ 

DEC 13 1917 


©CI.A477992 


Preface 

In presenting this little volume, the author 
hopes that it may he useful in suggesting to 
the minds of young boys the great wrong there 
is in indulging in evil habits. 

We read, ‘^My people are destroyed for lack 
of knowledge,’’ and this is true concerning 
most boys who form habits that are harmful 
both to body and soul. 

The story of John’s life is a true one; and 
his earnest prayer that it may be the means of 
helping some boys from Satan’s snares amd 
prove a blessing to them, I trust, will be an- 
swered. 


Anderson, Ind. 


Isabel C. Byrum. 


CONTENTS 


Chap. Page 

I The Prairie Pasture 7 

II In the Sod Cellar 15 

III What the Big Chest Contained 23 

IV Early School-Days 38 

Y The Card-Parties 44 

VI Visitors and Pastimes 51 

VII Leaving Home 60 

VIII With the Circus 69 

IX Caught Unawares 76 

X A Child Again 86 

XI How John Became a Man 92 


HOW JOHN 
BECAME A MAN 

Chapter 1 

The Prairie Pasture 

Out on the prairie in one of the western States 
where buffaloes and wild horses once had 
roamed at their pleasure and where cacti and 
yuccas still thrived and bloomed could be seen 
a small two-story frame building. There was 
nothing strange in this except that the house 
was different from the average houses of the 
plains; for at this particular time the greater 
part of the dwellings were made of sod, mud, 
and brush. 

The people, generally speaking, were of that 
type who think principally of getting all the 
enjoyment from their every-day lives that it 
is possible to obtain. There was, therefore, lit- 
tle thought among them of the hereafter, when 
men must give an account of themselves before 
a just and living God. In fact, the younger 
generation scarcely knew that there was a God 
who took note of all their ways. 


8 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


The building so different from the ordinary 
dwellings upon the prairies was the home of 
a tiny lad named John. It was a happy 
home ; for both his parents were living, and the 
love that bound their hearts together brought 
peace and happiness to each member of the 
little household. But could this happy group 
have known of the presence of a grim monster 
just outside the door, who at that very moment 
was seeking an entrance, their joy would have 
given place to sorrow^ Death was soon to de- 
stroy the light and comfort of that home. The 
devoted wife and mother was not strong; and 
after a severe illness lasting but a few short 
days, her spirit left the ones she loved and her 
lifeless body was carried to its last resting- 
place in the cemetery a few miles away. 

Little John was, of course, too young to real- 
ize the true meaning of the change; but that 
something dreadful had happened he very well 
knew, and his large pathetic eyes spoke the 
grief that he did understand and could not ex- 
press. During the three years of his short life 
he had known the care of a tender, loving 
mother, whose ambitions were high and noble. 
Although not a Christian, she had often ex- 
pressed her wish that her little brown-eyed boy 
might grow up to be an honor to his father and 
mother, and a blessing to his country. After 


THE PRAIRIE PASTURE 


9 


her death his papa^s eyes were often filled with 
tears, for he loved and pitied his little boy. 

One evening when the lights were dim and the 
hands of the clock were pointing to the bedtime 
hour, John felt his father’s arms tenderly en- 
circled about him and heard him softly saying : 

‘^My little John, we are left all alone now, 
and you must hurry up and become a man as 
soon as you can; for I need you to help me. 
Mama has gone away and left us, and she can 
not teach you the things that she had planned 
that you should know ; so we will have to do the 
best that we can, but you must help me. First 
of all, I want you to learn how to pray; for 
there is a God in heaven, who made you, and 
of whom your mother expected to tell you. Be- 
fore him we should bow down every night be- 
fore we go to sleep, and pray. ’ ’ 

‘‘Does he hear all the words we say?” asked 
little John in an awed tone, quite unable to 
comprehend his father’s meaning, “and does 
he look at us when we are asleep?” 

“Yes,” his father answered; “God sees and 
knows everything. Now I will tell you the short 
prayer that I used to say when I was a little 
boy like you— the prayer that my mother taught 
me.” 

Thus it was that John, kneeling beside his 


10 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


little bed repeated the prayer that has been 
lisped by thousands of other baby voices : 

‘^Now I lay me down to sleep; 

I pray thee, Lord, my soul to keep. 

If I should die before I wake, 

I pray thee. Lord, my soul to take.^^ 


As the days and weeks sped by, John thought 
often of his dear mama and wished that he 
might see her ; bnt he as often would recall his 
father ^s words to be a little man, and with all his 
strength he endeavored to be what he consid- 
ered a man ought to be. But although he tried, 
in his childish way, to be one, he was often 
very lonely; and had it not been for frequent 
visits to his uncle ’s home, several miles distant, 
he would have missed his precious mother even 
more than he did. While at his uncle ’s, he could 
play with his two cousins. Will and Charley. 
At last it was decided that it would be best for 
John and his father to go and make their home 
with the uncle until John was older. 

Now, Charley was just about John’s age; but 
as Charley was a cripple, John had chosen Will, 
who was several years the oldest, to be his clos- 
est friend and companion. Eegardl^ss of these 
facts, however, the three boys generally played 
together. Their playground was the vast door- 
yard extending far out over the prairie. 


THE PRAIRIE PASTURE 


II 


In time they were given the responsibility 
of herding the cows. To herd the cows meant 
to see that the cattle did not wander ahont in 
the neighborhood corn-, wheat-, and barley- 
fields that were scattered about here and there 
over the prairies and that were in but few in- 
stances fenced, and to see that they were driven 
to some watering-place at certain intervals and 
were brought home at the milking-hour. 

The watering-places were known as ^‘butfalo- 
wallows,’^ for they had been made by the buf- 
faloes in wallowing. These basins were usually 
kept filled with water by the rains. Some of 
the wallows,’’ or ponds,” were rather deep, 
and were treacherous because of sudden drop- 
offs”; but they were usually shallow, and it 
was generally safe for the children to play 
along the edge. 

After the first sharp edge of his grief was 
dulled, John’s father did not feel it so keenly 
his duty to instruct his child and to teach him 
to reverence his Creator; and when John was 
about six years of age, the father was kept so 
busy with his work that he had but little time 
to spend with the child. John’s aunt, too, al- 
though a good woman, was too much occupied 
with housekeeping to do her duty by her own 
two boys, much less by a third. So John and 
his cousins had spent nearly all of the three 


12 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


years that they had been together in doing as 
they pleased, and in finding as much enjoyment 
in living as it was possible for them to find. It 
wias, therefore, not strange that they had 
learned and invented many new ways to get 
amusement, and that some of these were evil; 
for Satan, as he always does in such cases, had 
lent them a helping hand. 

The work of attending to the cows did not, 
of course, occupy nearly all their time, and the 
boys found it great sport to play around the 
wallows and in them. 

On one occasion Will said : 

‘‘Say, boys, did you ever hear the story 
about the man who walked upon the water? I 
don’t remember just how the story went; but 
I heard somebody say that the man’s name was 
Jesus, and that another man got out of a boat 
to go and meet him. The first fellow did all 
right, but the second one came very near drown- 
ing because he looked down at the water. May- 
be he wanted to see how deep the water was, 
and I guess he would have got drowned if they 
hadn’t been close to the shore. Now, I am 
going to do like Jesus did. Want to see me?” 

Naturally both the boys wanted to see him 
perform a feat like that, and Will quickly 
scampered into the water. Now, the wallow 
was very shallow all the way across, and Will 


THE PRAIRIE PASTURE 


13 


was soon on the opposite side. The smaller 
boys, not knowing the depth of the water, sup- 
posed that it was deep and that Will had ac- 
tually done some marvelous thing. Will did 
not know that he was doing wrong by speaking 
lightly of one of the Savior’s miracles; for he 
had never been in Sunday-school, and his par- 
ents had not taught him the sacredness of the 
words and acts of the Savior. He simply 
wanted to play a joke on his companions. 

The smaller hoys talked the matter over when 
they were alone, and John said: 

‘‘Say, Charley, what do you suppose held 
Will up the other day on that water? That 
wallow must have been deep out in the middle. 
Let’s try it some time for ourselves when Will 
isn’t around. I believe we could do it as well 
as he did. ’ ’ 

Charley was agreed, and the two smaller lads 
watched their chance. One day when Will was 
not with them, they chose a wallow* that they 
thought would answer their purpose. “I’ll go 
first,” Charley said, and he hurried forward, 
as rapidly as his little crippled limb could 
carry him, to the water’s edge and out into the 
pond. 

Suddenly poor little Charley disappeared. 
John saw his cousin as he went down into the 
deep water, and realized his danger. He knew 


14 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


that something must he done and done at once, 
and with a hound he sprang in after his com- 
panion. He did not, however, go beyond the 
shallow water, and when his cousin came to 
the surface, he reached out his hand and caught 
him by the hair; and as Charley had not lost 
the power to help himself, he was soon able, 
by John^s assistance, to scramble to a place of 
safety. 

The hoys decided that they would say nothing 
about the accident ; and as they remained aw’ay 
from the house long enough for Charley’s 
clothing to dry, no questions were asked. But 
was the scene unnoticed? No. He who notes 
the sparrow ’s fall was watching over these little 
boys; he had not forgotten John’s little prayer 
that had been taught him by his father. God 
was caring for these little untaught children in 
that vast prairie pasture. 


IN THE SOD CELLAR 


15 


Chapter II 

In the Sod Cellar 

Almost without exception the homes on the 
prairies were provided with sod cellars. Even 
the few modern dwellings in the community 
in which John’s uncle lived were not without 
these old-fashioned cellars, which served as a 
protection in times of storms and tornadoes. 
The cellars served also as places in which to 
store the fruits and vegetables for winter use. 
And very often, too, a large quantity of tobacco 
leaves that had been dried and kept back when 
the summer’s crop was sold could be discov- 
ered in one of these places. 

The home of John’s uncle was provided with 
just such a cellar — a deep hole dug in the 
ground and covered over with a dense roofing 
of brush, mud, and sod. Within this cellar a 
large supply of tobacco leaves had been stored. 
John had been in the cellar many times. He 
knew the tobacco was there, and he knew to 
what use his uncle put the tobacco. He knew 
also that his cousin Will both chewed and 
smoked the leaves, but it had not occurred to 
him that he himself could do so. 

The reason why he had not thought of using 
it was perhaps that his father had once told him 


16 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


that the using of tobacco was a bad habit and 
urged him to let it alone. But the fact that he 
had not been tempted did not guarantee that he 
would not be; the fact that he had no appetite 
for tobacco did not conclusively prove that he 
would never acquire one; nor did the fact that 
he had been told to let tobacco alone warrant 
that he would need no further watching— for 
an unforeseen temptation was lurking near. 

One day when John went into the cellar with 
his cousin Will, his cousin filled a pipe with 
the leaves and offered it to him, bidding him 
smoke. John shook his head, and said that he 
did not want to smoke, for his father had said 
that using tobacco was a bad habit and that it 
would ruin his health. 

‘‘Then, why does he use it himself?’’ Will 
reasoned. “Do you suppose that he would use 
it if he thought that it was going to hurt him? 
Now, John, look here; you said that you wanted 
to become a man. Here’s your chance. If you 
get to where you can smoke a pipe, chew to- 
bacco, and spit, in the way that your father and 
my dad do, you will be a man. Just some folks ’ 
saying that it is a bad habit doesn’t need to 
make any difference with you.” 

As John thought over his cousin’s words, 
they did seem reasonable, and he remembered 
that all the men he had ever seen used tobacco. 


IN THE SOD CELLAR 


17 


So he decided that, if he expected to be a man 
himself, he must soon begin to use it too. He 
therefore accepted the pipe and began to puif 
vigorously at the stem. But try as he would, 
he couldn ’t make the pretty little curls of smoke 
mount up into the air as he had watched his 
father and other men do. Very soon, however, 
a deathly sickness began to steal over him. His 
head and stomach hurt, and he could scarcely 
help falling down on the floor of the cellar. 

‘‘0 Will,’’ he said, as he gave back the pipe 
to his cousin, ‘‘I am so sick! Let’s get out of 
here. I feel as though I was going to die!” 
And John started in an attempt to find the 
opening through which he had entered the cel- 
lar, but to his surprize and terror he could not 
find it. 

Will,” he said, ^Hhis is all your fault! 
You know I didn’t want to smoke. I wish now 
that I hadn’t listened to you. Father said to- 
bacco would make me sick, hut I didn’t know it 
would be so bad as this. Tell me, does it always 
make people sick? and do they ever die!” 

^‘Yes; it usually nmkes them pretty sick,” 
Will answered. '‘But they always get over it; 
and each time they smoke, they get more used 
to it, or something, and after a w^hile they don’t 
get sick at all. Look at me. It never makes 
me sick, but it did at first. Surely you can 


18 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


stand a little sickness when you know that it 
is going to make a man of you ! ’ ’ 

John concluded that under those circum- 
stances he could endure his suffering. But he 
did not try to smoke any more that morning. 
With WilPs assistance he found the doorway 
of the cellar and went out where the air was more 
pure. Gradually he began to feel better. When 
dinner time came, however, he did not care 
to eat; hut he kept repeating to himself, ‘‘It 
won^t be this way long, and I can afford to 
suffer if it will make a man of me. ’ ’ How sad 
to think that one so young should be so de- 
ceived ! 

Could some one have taught him then that the 
sick feeling that had so distressed him was 
caused by the strong poison contained in the 
tobacco, it might have encouraged him never 
to touch it again. Had his father explained 
that every pound of tobacco contains three hun- 
dred and twenty grains of this poison, one grain 
of which will kill a large dog in about three 
minutes; or told him the story of how a man 
once ran a needle and thread that had been 
dipped in the poison through the skin of a frog 
and of how the frog in a few moments began to 
act like a drunken person, vomited, and hopped 
about as fast as possible, and then laid down, 
twitched for a moment in agony, and died; or 


IN THE SOD CELLAR 


19 


informed him that many people become insane 
just through the use of tobacco, John might 
have yet been influenced to leave the poisonous 
stuff alone — but perhaps his father did not 
know. Anyway, John was left without this 
much-needed information. 

Boys who are not properly warned of the 
danger of tobacco-using are to be pitied more 
than blamed if they indulge ; hut their ignorance 
does not lessen the harm and the evils wrought. 
When the poison gets into the system, it affects 
the most vital organs ; it undermines that 
strength and destroys that beauty which orna- 
ment true manhood and which assure an indi- 
vidual of success. Besides, the continued us- 
ing causes the indulger to form a habit that 
can not he easily overcome. 

John, being not fully warned of the dreadful 
consequences of using tobacco, and yet deter- 
mined to become a man, kept on smoking until 
he so accustomed his system to the shock that 
he felt satisfied he was becoming a conqueror 
and would soon he able to show his father that 
he w'as now a man. 

During the time that John was undergoing 
such severe temptation, his father was very 
busy. He realized that his child needed more 
instruction than he was receiving and that 
WilPs influence over John was not good; but 


20 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


just what advice to give, he hardly knew. Ohce 
he thought that he could smell tobacco-smoke 
on his boy^s clothing; so calling John to his 
side, he said: 

‘‘John, I feel that I must tell you something 
more about certain bad habits that so many 
hoys form while they are young. You remem- 
ber I told you that smoking and chewing to- 
bacco ruin many a life. Now, I am not going 
to say that you can not use tobacco ; but I wish 
that for my sake, as well as for your own, you 
would let it alone, for it is indeed a very bad 
habit. 

To this advice John made no reply; for an 
appetite was being formed, and in his heart 
he decided to keep right on. It would have been 
better could his father have remembered the 
temptations of his own boyhood days. He 
might then have more fully realized how next 
to impossible it is for a parent to availingly 
teach his child to do something without first 
setting before the child an example that is 
worthy of imitation. Could he have helped his 
little son to understand the true meaning of 
manhood and the necessity of building up with- 
in himself in youth a noble, honest, and always- 
to-be-depended-upon character, as well as the 
need of developing a strong body, he might 


IN THE SOD CELLAR 21 

have laid a foundation upon which John could 
have later safely builded. 

John dearly loved his father and wanted to 
please him. And to his mind he could best 
please his father by as quickly as possible be- 
coming a man. So, with the thought of early 
manhood ever before him, he felt that, in using 
tobacco, he was doing right. And then, too, 
Charley had learned to smoke and chew, and 
it would be very hard indeed to be near the 
boys and not to join in with them. 

By the time that John had passed his seventh 
birthday, the small amount of tobacco that was 
kept in the cellar was not sufficient to fill the 
demand of the three boys without too rapidly di- 
minishing the uncle ^s supply, and the boys de- 
cided to look elsewhere. 

Now, John’s aunt had at one time explained 
to the boys that lying and stealing are wrong; 
but she had not made it clear that deceiving is 
lying and that taking little things that did not 
belong to them, even though they took the 
things from some member of the family, is 
stealing, and that just such thefts lead to the 
greater crimes that send men and women to 
prison. Instead, she gave the advice in such 
a way that, though they were impressed with 
a horror of stealing, the boys could only in 
part comprehend her meaning. But because 


22 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


she had warned them, she felt that she had done 
her duty and that they ought to know right 
from wrong in regard to that matter without 
further explanation. 

She did not realize that it was her duty to 
watch, encourage, and advise, and also to find 
out when mischief was being planned. In fact, 
this aunt and mother, busy with her own cares, 
knew nothing of the possibilities for a child 
whose confidence and love had been won, and 
who, through loving counsel, had gained a 
knowledge of evils and their effects before he 
had formed ruinous habits or his mind had 
been polluted with false ideas. Being thus left 
to themselves to discern as best they could 
the difference between right and wrong, the 
boys nearly always chose the wrong; and as a 
result, constantly went deeper and deeper into 
sinful things. 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


23 


CJia/pter III 

What the Big Chest Contained 

Great sins always have a beginning ; the first 
attempts to do evil are not bard to check if 
taken in time, but if allowed to be carried out, 
it is impossible to tell what the results may be. 
How sad it was that John and bis cousins did 
not have some one to check them ! 

The boys now decided to keep close watch, 
and to avail themselves of every opportunity 
to procure tobacco, even if they were forced 
to steal it. The word ‘^steaP’ bad, of course, 
a certain horror to John because of the picture 
bis aunt bad described of a prison and a thief ; 
but be soothed bis conscience by saying, ‘ ^ There 
isn’t anything else in the world except tobacco 
that I would think of stealing. ’ ’ But the steal- 
ing-habit, like the tobacco-habit, continues to 
grow stronger, unless it is in some way broken. 
As tobacco contains a poison that affects the 
physical being, so in a similar manner lying 
and stealing have a ruinous effect upon the 
moral nature. The three— lying, stealing, and 
tobacco-using— too often go band in band. 

The first effort of the boys to secure the 
much-coveted tobacco was made one day when 
they, while roaming about over the prairie, dis- 


24 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


covered a man hard at work in a field. The 
man seemed to be lifting something that was 
very heavy, and Will suggested to the boys 
that they go and lend their services provided the 
man wiould give them each a chew of his tobacco 
in return; and Will did not forget to add that 
they must each take as generous a bite as their 
mouths could accommodate. The man was glad 
to accept their help ; and together with his own 
efforts, the work was soon finished. Then, in 
fulfilment of his agreement, he handed them 
his plug of tobacco that they might each take 
the ‘‘chew’’ he had promised them. 

According to Will’s suggestion the boys did 
not stop with an ordinary chew; but each took 
all that his mouth would contain. When they 
returned the plug, it was so small that the boys 
were all afraid the man would find fault with 
them; so they hurried away from the spot as 
rapidly as possible. As soon as they were far 
enough away, they removed the tobacco from 
their mouths; and they found that, by taking 
very small chews at a time, the amount was 
sufficient to last them for some time. Several 
times they succeeded in securing tobacco in 
this way, and by economizing were able to get 
along pretty well for a while. But the plan did 
not always work; for the neighbors’ becoming 
aware of the scheme, prepared themselves with 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


25 


a small piece of tobacco to oifer the greedy 
boys. 

After that, in order to secure their tobacco, 
they were often forced to pick up partly-chewed 
quids, found where they had been thrown away 
by the owners. These the boys usually washed ; 
sometimes, however, in their eagerness they 
could not wait to attend to even this amount 
of cleanliness, but crammed the tobacco into 
their mouths just as they had found it. Even 
cigar stubs ; in fact, everything in the form of to- 
bacco, that had been thrown away, they eagerly 
gathered and used to satisfy their ravenous 
appetites. 

With a foundation now laid for both lying 
and stealing and with their consciences dulled, 
the boys were constantly laying plans to gratify 
their evil desires. Many a pocket they robbed 
of its contents if it happened to contain tobacco 
in any form. But this was a slow process at 
best; even under the most favorable circum- 
stances it yielded them but very little returns 
for their etforts. But one day Will informed 
the boys that he had made a discovery— that he 
had found out that there was a lot of plug to- 
bacco in the big chest in his father ^s room. 
‘‘Now, if we could think up some way to get 
into that chest when the old folks are gone 
away to town,^’ he suggested, “we could get 


26 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


all the chewing-tobacco we would want for a 
long while. I thought I would watch and see 
where Dad put the key, but he took it with him. 
Guess he carries it with him everywhere he 
goes. I wonder if we couldn^t manage in some 
way to break the lock. My, but I tell you we 
could get a big haul! I wonder if we hadn^t 
better try it some day when the old folks go to 
town?’^ 

‘‘Hooray, that^s just it!’’ shouted the smaller 
boys in the same breath. 

And John asked quickly: “When will they go 
to town again? This is only Wednesday.” 

‘Ht won’t be long, I’m sure,” Will answered 
reassuringly. “They’ll go either Friday or Sat- 
urday sure. But we’ll have to get busy and 
think out a way to break that lock. My, but 
won’t the old man be mad when he finds out 
about it ! We ’ll have to act just as if we couldn ’t 
see how on earth such a thing could have hap- 
pened.” 

“Yes; and we’ll have to hide the tobacco 
good, or Pa might find it,” chimed in Charley. 

“Hey, Will,” John exclaimed in a hurried 
undertone— for all the boys had learned to 
speak low when mentioning their plans— “if we 
could take the hinges off from the back of the 
chest, we wouldn’t have to break the lock at 
all.” 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


27 


‘‘Wliy, Jolm, that’s just it! How in the 
world did you think of that scheme?” Will ex- 
claimed, as he slapped his little cousin on the 
back. say, my boy, you had better look out 
or you’ll be a man before your big cousin! It 
doesn’t matter you know about the height if you 
have the sense.” 

Now, John (although so young) was quite 
ingenious; and he often suggested ideas that, 
for their shrewdness, were far beyond his years. 
For such he was always praised by Will, and 
was encouraged to make other plans. 

Being encouraged by his cousin’s praise, the 
child’s brain became even more active, and he 
said, ‘Hf we just cut a little piece from each 
plug. Uncle won’t be so apt to miss the to- 
bacco. ’ ’ 

‘‘That’s just it again!” emphatically as- 
sented Will. “I declare, John, you surprize 
me! And now, we must have everything all 
ready so that the minute they leave we can 
get busy. Let’s see what’ll we need? A screw- 
driver— and will we need a hammer?” 

“We’ll need a real sharp knife to cut the 
tobacco,” John suggested. 

“I’ll get the things ready,” Charley volun- 
teered ; and so they planned and waited for the 
time to come when they could carry out their 
scheme. 


28 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


The time came on the following Saturday. 
Early in the morning the uncle and aunt drove 
away in the “buckhoard/^ and were on their 
way to the city where they were to do their 
trading. All three of the boys had been unusually 
anxious to help their elders get started, forget- 
ting in their eagerness that they might be thus 
revealing some of their plans ; scarcely did they 
give the uncle and aunt time to disappear in 
the distance before they had commenced their 
evil work. 

‘‘Kerens the tools,’’ Charley said, as he 
brought forth the screw-driver, hammer, and 
sharp knife. ‘‘Where shall I put them?” 

“Oh, anywhere so they’ll be handy!” Will 
told him; and then the three boys hastened to 
the room containing the chest and were soon 
kneeling on the floor, examining carefully the 
object of their interest. 

The chest, a long, narrow, flat box somewhat 
darkened with age, was closed and securely fast- 
ened; and the tiny padlock that hung from its 
side seemed to say, “If you please, I am here 
to protect my master’s property from the hand 
of any thieves ; and to the extent that it is with- 
in my power, I shall perform my duty.” Its 
bold front and deflant appearance did not, how- 
ever, daunt the purpose of the boys. After giv- 
ing it a brief examination, they slipped around 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


29 


to the opposite side of the chest, and by the 
aid of the screw-driver, removed the lower half 
of the rusty hinges. 

‘‘Thank goodness, this chest is old!’^ Will 
exclaimed as he brushed from his forehead the 
large beads of perspiration. “If these screws 
turned any harder, I never could get them out. 
Guess we ^11 earn our tobacco this time all 
right ! ’ ’ 

Scarcely had the last screw been removed 
when up came the lid; and almost instantly 
three pairs of eager eyes were greedily gazing 
down upon the contents of the wooden chest. 
There were in it a package of old letters, var- 
ious articles of clothing, a few trinkets, etc. ; but 
only that part of the contents that was carefully 
packed in one corner claimed the attention of 
the boys. This, a pile of long brown strips, or 
plugs, of tobacco, was what they wanted; and 
soon Will was busily engaged in cutting a nar- 
row slice from each plug and J ohn and Charley 
were dividing the slices into three equal parts. 
But in their haste and excitement, none of the 
boys forgot to fill their mouths with the filthy 
stutf, and to chew while they worked. 

As Will cut a piece from the last plug, he 
glanced about over the piles and said with a 
look of satisfaction: “Now that ain’t so bad, is 
it boys? That ought to last quite a spell; and 



OPENING THE CHEST 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


31 


when it’s gone, we can come hack here, or maybe 
something else will turn up.” And then, when 
he saw the hoys rearranging the tobacco in the 
chest, he said: ‘‘Look out there! You’ll have 
to get everything just like it was, or we’ll be 
caught and have had our fun for nothing!” 

When the chest was repacked, the last screw 
in its place, and the tiny scraps of tobacco that 
had fallen upon the floor had been carefully 
preserved, the boys looked at one another with 
satisfaction, and Will said, “That’s a pretty 
slick job all right, if I do say so; and its a lot 
better than breaking the lock would have been. 
I’ll tell you it takes some brains to do up a 
thing like that, and it makes me feel as if I’d 
like more of them.” 

To this John smiled and said: ‘'Hey, Will, 
do you know what’s in that trunk?” John re- 
ferred to a large trunk that was sitting near 
the bed on the opposite side of the room. 

“Couldn’t tell you all that’s in it, hut its 
locked; and it’s in that trunk that Dad keeps 
his revolvers. There’s two of ’em, because I 
saw inside the trunk the other day. ’ ’ And then 
as the new thought presented itself to his mind, 
he exclaimed, “I wonder why we couldn’t get 
into that trunk the same as we did the chest?” 

In a twinkling all the hoys were examining 
the trunk, hut to their dismay, they found that 


32 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


the hinges, instead of being on the outside of 
the trunk, were arranged differently, and they 
could not get at them. Again it was John who 
suggested a plan whereby they could accom- 
plish their desires. ‘^Just take a nail,’’ he 
said, ^ ‘ and turn the head of it around in the lock. 
I ’ve watched my father do that, and he gets his 
open every time.” 

The trunk, which was an old one, yielded 
quickly to the efforts made by the boys; and 
upon raising the lid, they saw before them two 
shining weapons that were supposed to have 
been carefully hidden away from their inex- 
perienced fingers. John and Will each quickly 
caught one up in his hand; and Will began 
handling his as though it were a toy, but not so 
did John. 

John’s father had taught him something of 
the dangers connected with the handling of a 
gun or revolver. Besides, John was at one time 
present when a duel was fought; and on that 
occasion one of the duelists was killed. The 
memory of that incident and of his father’s 
warnings, made John very careful about point- 
ing the revolver at either of his cousins. It was, 
therefore, with intense fear that John looked 
into the barrel of his cousin’s revolver as Will 
snapped it, aimlessly pointing in his direction; 
and J ohn exclaimed, ‘ ^ Turn that thing away, or 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


33 


you’ll shoot me!” 

Will’s answer was: ‘^You needn’t be afraid, 
John. This revolver isn’t loaded.” 

But John, seeing his cousin’s careless atti- 
tude, was afraid; and he dodged down behind 
a barrel of carpet-rags near which he had been 
standing. It was well that John did not longer 
remain where he had been; for the revolver 
contained a solitary load, and the frequent pull- 
ing of the trigger discharged this. The bullet 
passed the very spot where John had a moment 
before been standing, and lodged itself deep in 
the side of the trunk. 

This experience marked an awakening-time 
in all of the boys’ lives; at that moment their 
consciences, which had almost fallen asleep, 
were aroused, and in startling phrases gave 
them accounts of their evil deeds. With great 
haste the hoys returned the weapons to their 
former hiding-place; relocked the trunk; and 
in so far as it was possible, covered all the 
traces of the accident. Then, with hearts full of 
guilty thoughts, the three hoys hastened from 
the place where a scene of horror had very 
nearly been enacted. 

Out in the open, where the air was fresh and 
pure, their spirits to a certain degree revived. 
But their usual laughter, fun, and merry-mak- 
ing had been dampened; and as they wended 


34 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


their way to the prairie pasture-land, few words 
were passed between them. Poor little mis- 
guided boys ! warned, and yet left so ignorant 
of what was the right and the wrong way. 

Through the voice of conscience God en- 
deavored to speak to John and to tell him that 
his ways were evil and that he and his cousins 
would some day get into serious trouble if they 
continued in the way they were going; but, al- 
though he was sad, he could not understand. 
He wanted to be a good boy for his father’s 
sake (for his father was the best friend he 
knew) ; and most of all he desired to become the 
man that that parent had wished him to be. 
John’s disregard for his father’s warnings from 
time to time had been due to the fear that, if 
he obeyed, his early manhood would be hindered. 

Could that father have given his little son 
an object-lesson such as an aged monk once, 
while walking through a forest, gave his 
scholar, John might have been spared much 
suffering. The monk, stepping before font 
plants that were close by, pointed to the first, 
a plant just beginning to peep above the ground ; 
to the second, one well-rooted in the earth ; to the 
third, a small shrub; and to the fourth, a full- 
sized tree. 

Then turning to his young companion, he 
said, ‘‘Pull up the first.’’ This the boy easily 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


35 


‘^Now pull up the second.’’ The youth 
obeyed, but not with so much ease. 

‘‘And now the third.” This time before the 
boy succeeded in uprooting the plant, he had to 
put forth all his strength and to use both his 
arms. 

“And now,” said his master, “try your hand 
on the fourth.” But although the lad grasped 
the trunk of the tree in his arms, he scarcely 
shook its leaves ; and he found it impossible to 
tear its roots from the earth. Then the wise 
old man explained the meaning of the four 
trials. 

“This, my son,” he said, “is just what hap- 
pens to our bad habits and passions. When they 
are young and weak, we can by a little watch- 
fulness and by a little discipline, easily tear them 
up ; but if we let them cast their roots deep down 
into our souls, no human power can uproot them. 
Only the almighty hand of the Creator can pluck 
them out. For this reason, my boy, watch your 
first impulses.” 

Or, could John have heard the story of the 
giant who fell in with a company of pigmies, 
he might have taken a different course. The 
giant roared with laughter at the insignificant 
stature and wonderful boastings of the pigmies. 
He ridiculed their threats when they told what 


36 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


they expected to do to him; hut when he fell 
asleep that night, he was at their mercy. And 
he did not know until he awoke in the morning 
that while he was asleep these tiny people of 
whom he had made sport had bound him with 
innumerable threads and that he was their help- 
less captive. But John knew nothing of these 
stories or of other things that teach the lessons 
he so much needed; and perhaps his father did 
not know, so that he could tell his son what he 
should have been told. 

The use of tobacco is an evil. When God 
made tobacco and pronounced it good, he did 
not mean for it to go into the mouth of any 
man or woman, much less into the mouths of 
children. Tobacco is a deadly poison; and the 
constant use of any poison must injure the body 
of the one who uses it. When it has sapped 
the strength from both the mind and the body, 
it leaves the individual weakened in every way 
and makes it harder for him to live a good, pure 
life. 

No person who uses tobacco may be said to 
be perfectly well. Such a person may not real- 
ize how his health is impalired, because the 
stupor that the poison produces numbs his sen- 
sibilities; but the very appetite he has for to- 
bacco is in itself a disease. In order for a hab- 
itual user to realize the harm that tobacco is 


WHAT THE BIG CHEST CONTAINED 


37 


doing to his health, he has simply to stop its 
use for a short time and watch the effect on his 
system. 

Tobacco is not a food that God intended man 
to eat. In man^s case it feeds only a craving 
that it has itself created. Bnt the leaves of 
the tobacco-plant do serve as food for the large, 
green worms that live and thrive in tobacco- 
fields. Yes; tobacco is ‘Wery good” for the 
^ ‘ creeping things ’ ’ for which it was created ; bul 
it was not intended as food for man. 

Could John and his cousins have understood 
all this when the next tobacco-famine came to 
them, it seems that each would surely have re- 
sisted the temptation to stoop down, pick up a 
partly chewed quid of tobacco, cram it greedily 
into his watering mouth, and chew it as though 
it was the sweetest morsel he had ever tasted. 
But the boys did not know. They thought such 
things were manly. 


38 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


Chapter IV 

Early School-Days 

By the time John was eight years old, the 
evil influences with which he had been sur- 
rounded in his uncle’s home were rapidly tell- 
ing on him. To be sure, there was still the same 
pathetic expression in his deep, brown eyes, 
and now and then there could be observed in 
them a mischievous glance or a merry twinkle; 
but his general appearance was that of a sadly 
neglected child. Still the busy aunt took little 
notice either of him or of her own boys. 

In his heart John was longing for some one 
to take an interest in him and to love him— some 
one to whom he could go with his boyish heart- 
aches and from whom he could gain the sym- 
pathy for which his heart was craving. To be 
sure, his father was still kind, and sometimes 
John would imagine that he could even feel his 
father’s love. At such times the boy would 
press closer to his parent, hoping that he would 
at least with his arm caress him ; but his father 
did not understand. He could see only the out- 
ward roughness ; and he said in his heart : 

‘‘It is all because he has never had a chance. 
He has grown up here on the prairie like a wild 


EARLY SCHOOL-DAYS 39 

thing. He has never been to school, and I must 
send him at once.’’ 

With this purpose in his heart John’s father 
decided to return with his child to the place 
that had once been his happy home. In mak- 
ing the change there were, of course, many 
things to take into consideration. But under 
the circumstances, to go seemed the best and 
proper thing to do. The sad events, he reasoned, 
were all in a lifetime; and he must make the 
best of them. The home w"Ould for a time seem 
desolate, he knew, but he thought that perhaps 
they could become used to it; anyway, his boy 
must be in school. The school terms would not 
be long (for only three or four months of each 
year were set apart for school purposes) ; but 
even these short terms would he better than 
none. 

To John the change meant more. The five 
years that he had spent in the home of his uncle 
had made his cousins seem to him like brothers ; 
but still, as he considered his father’s plans, he 
thought, ‘‘Perhaps it may be all right.” His 
aunt was very kind while John and his father 
were preparing to move ; and the day they hade 
her good-by she said such sweet things that he 
wanted to throw his arms about her neck. To 
his mind it was the very w’ay in which his own 


40 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 

dear mother would have spoken had she been 
alive. 

When all was ready for the departure, the 
aunt said: ^‘John, here are the two little tur- 
keys that you have liked so well all summer. 
You may take them with you. They will help 
you to forget that you are alone when your 
father is away at his work’^; and she handed 
him a small covered basket. Then the wagon 
containing their few belongings moved away 
from the place that for nearly five years they 
had called their home. 

As they wended their way along the thorough- 
fare, they saw men at wlork in the fields. 
Some were shucking corn and tossing the bright 
golden ears into wagons that were placed be- 
tween the rows for that purpose, while others 
were hauling the grain to their barns to store 
it away for the winter ^s use. The broad com 
leaves mstling in the wind seemed to whisper, 
‘^Winter is coming with his cold, bleak storms 
to rob the earth of her summer splendor; but 
he will bring his beautiful coverlet of snow to 
protect her fields and to prepare them for the 
coming year. ^ ’ 

The foliage on the small bushes that were 
scattered here and there was fading; but the 
air was still soft and mild. Near the willows 
might still be seen the bending goldenrods. 


EARLY SCHOOL-DAYS 


41 


asters, and sunflowers. And occasionally blue 
smoke could be seen curling up from some sod- 
house chimney. 

It was evening when the father and his son 
drove up to the door of their long-desolate 
home; the sun was sinking lower and lower in 
the west. A few soft glimmers of its mellow 
light lingered timidly about the doorway as if to 
hid the home-comers welcome, and then they 
were gone. A rabbit, hopping boldly about in 
the neglected doorway, stopped suddenly as if 
to ask why these people had come to a place 
that she had chosen for her home; and some 
prairie dogs that had formed a colony close 
by anxiously watched from the entrance of their 
underground homes to see what was going on. 

John and his father, each absorbed with his 
own thoughts, sprang from the wagon, and 
soon began to air out the musty house and to 
rearrange the furniture that had long been idly 
awaiting their return. After a while John 
found that his aunt had not forgotten that he 
would be very hungry, and soon he was sam- 
pling some large bread-and-meat sandwiches; 
his father too came for his share. Thus quickly 
passed the first evening in their old home. But 
before John retired to his own bed, he saw that 
his little turkeys received some attention; and 
in the morning he let them have their freedom. 


42 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


As the days sped by and lengthened into 
weeks and months, John would have indeed 
been lonely had it not been for his little pets, 
the turkeys. They received his earliest atten- 
tion in the morning, and it was their little beaks 
that touched his cheek the last thing before 
he retired at night; and to himself alone was 
their roosting-place known. 

How ditferent everything seemed to John in 
his new home ! The change from knowing noth- 
ing but perfect freedom in God^s great open 
out-of-doors to being left alone to hustle off 
to school in the early morning hours, where he 
must sit like a statue and prepare humdrum 
lessons, was to John a wonderful change. John, 
however, was determined to make the very best 
of his lot and to do all that he could to please 
his teacher. 

Allowing this purpose to govern his life, 
John’s conduct was such that he became in a 
very short time the favorite pupil in the school ; 
and his kindly, generous, and ambitious nature 
won him many friends. He was soon noted for 
his witty remarks, made in a manner so droll 
and unpretentious that often merry bursts of 
laughter were heard from his teacher as well 
as his playmates. 

But regardless of these pleasant conditions 
John was far from happy. He still wanted 


EARLY SCHOOL-DAYS 


43 


some one to show deep love for him and to take 
an interest in his welfare; and though he con- 
stantly tried to smother the deep suffering he 
felt it still smoldering in his heart. This, per- 
haps, caused him to crave all the more the to- 
bacco that in a way had dulled his senses and 
caused him to realize his troubles less. 


44 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


Chapter V 

The Card-Parties 

While John was forming new acquaintances 
at school, Satan was not asleep. John^s active 
mind was soon being schooled in many evils 
that he had not known before. And to make 
the matter still worse, John’s father had a num- 
ber of bachelor friends with whom he was in 
the habit of meeting for pleasant evenings, and 
their amusements were mostly drinking strong 
drinks and playing card games. 

Among these men, as among his schoolmates, 
John became a favorite; and he was often 
praised and admired for his shrewd and manly 
ways. And when the report concerning his in- 
tense desire to become a man was circulated 
among them, they urged him to drink beer, say- 
ing that it would make him more manly and 
that all men must learn how to drink and smoke 
if they would be thought of as being manly. As 
a result John was soon able to drink his share 
of the beer, although he did not like the taste 
at first. B'esides this, John discovered that at 
these evening gatherings he could often replen- 
ish his supply of tobacco by slipping a little 
from some one’s pocket when the owner was 
not on his guard. 


THE CARD-PARTIES 


45 


Poor little John !— sucli a favorite! so gifted, 
and yet so neglected! in regard to high ideals 
and purposes in life, so ignorant! and so de- 
sirous of that motherly love and interest that 
were ever denied him ! He endeavored to fill his 
life with other things; but in his day-dreams 
he often pictured his mother, and wondered: 
^‘Was she like my aunt*? Would she take me 
and hold me in her arms while she smoothed 
my hair with her hand! Would she hind my 
bruises! And would she sit by my bedside 
at night and hold my hand in hers while telling 
me stories that she had read!’’ ^‘Oh, how 
would it all seem!” he would ask himself; and 
then, remembering that such could never be, he 
would try to forget and be happy. His mother 
was gone, he reasoned, and he must be content. 
It was to his two little feathered friends alone 
that he confided his sorrows. 

Had John’s father remembered the deter- 
mination that filled his soul on the dark day of 
his wife’s funeral, and had he continued to 
teach his little son to pray and to serve God, 
how much better it might have been ! How much 
better might John have understood the differ- 
ence between right and wrong ! In such a case, 
John’s life’s record might have been filled with 
good and noble deeds, and his habits might have 
been clean and wholesome. 


46 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


As it was, because of bis ignorance of right, 
he was laying a crunihling foundation formed 
of evil motives and desires. And should he 
continue to build, using similar material, his 
lifers structure would be unsafe; it would be 
momentarily in danger of falling. As Satan 
is ever waiting with the needed supplies for 
a work of this kind, so he was ready to aid little 
John. The card-parties at which John and his 
father were often present furnished John with 
much of his material. 

The younger men among those who attended 
these gatherings, recognizing in John material of 
the entertaining sort, began at once to educate 
him. They taught him, not only to drink beer, but 
also to play cards and to swear. To John beer 
did not at first have a pleasant taste ; but as it 
was when he was trying to learn to use tobacco, 
so it was now— the promise that it would help 
him in becoming manly encouraged him to’ take 
more; and as he drank, the appetite grew. Fin- 
ally he would sometimes drink so much that he 
could not keep awake. 

Usually on these occasions beer was served 
only as a prize to the winners of the games. 
The lucky fellow alone was given a drink while 
those who had lost were given only a smell of 
the bottle. One time when John had won in a 
number of games and had been treated to as 



A CARD-PARTY 


48 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


many drinks from the bottle of beer, be be- 
came very sleepy. Going over to one comer 
of the room, he crept up on a table and soon 
was apparently asleep. It happened, however, 
that, although he was sleepy, he was not wholly 
unconscious to what was going on; and sud- 
denly he heard a plot that seemed to him so 
cruel that he could scarcely believe his ears. 

At the close of such gatherings a chicken- 
roast was generally in order, and the fowl used 
was usually taken from some hen-roost not far 
distant. On this particular occasion when the 
party was about to break up, John heard the 
roughest of the company ask: 

‘‘I say, boys, who’s goin’ fer the roast ter- 
night? Someun ought to be otf fer it’s nigh 
outer the midnight hour, and I, fer one’s, got 
a big job ahead a me tomorrer.” 

‘‘I’l go. Bill,” some one answered; ‘‘but 
whar do ye say ter go I ” 

“Oh, it don’t make no difference, so’s it’s 
not too fer away!” the other answered, and 
added: “Whist, Tom, why can’t we git John’s 
turkeys? They’d make fustrate eaten all right. 
He’s too far gone to know anything about it.” 

John was just about to call out that they must 
let his turkeys alone when he remembered how 
hard it would be in the darkness to discover 
their roosting-place, so he remained quiet. It 


THE CARD-PARTIES 


49 


was, however, with some uneasiness that he 
aw^aited the thieves’ return. When they came, 
he was relieved; for they were carrying chick- 
ens instead of turkeys. Although, because of 
the safety of his pets, a thrill of satisfaction 
swept over John, yet he had received in his 
heart a wound that was deep and wide. These 
cruel, heartless men were willing to take from 
him, in so unprinjcipletd a manner, his only 
companions and playfellows. John somewhat 
realized that life had a hard and bitter side 
for him; hut again he endeavored with all his 
strength to make the best of it. 

It was morning before John and his father 
returned to their home; and it was with unus- 
ual joy that John found his pets waiting for 
their breakfast. As he held them close to his 
breast, with their beaks close to his cheek, he 
again thought of his mother ; also he wondered 
about a certain change that had come over his 
father. 

For a time after their removal to their own 
home, the father had been very devoted to 
John and had seemed to understand something 
of the boy’s loneliness. Perhaps it was a real- 
ization of this loneliness and a desire to bring 
into the life of the child the motherly interest 
of which he had been deprived that had turned 
the father’s heart toward a certain young lady 


50 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


of his acquaintance. Anyway, whatever was 
the cause, the father became more and more in- 
terested in this young woman; while, on the 
other hand, he paid less attention to John, 
whose loneliness daily increased. Night after 
night John^s pillow was dampened by the tears 
he shed while waiting and listening for the 
sound of his father ^s returning footsteps. 

In course of time the father married and 
brought home his new bride. At first John 
was very shy; but he wlas glad. Oh, how he 
wished that she would be what he had day- 
dreamed that his own mother might have been ! 
He could then have given her all his love and 
confidence. He could have told her all his boy- 
ish plans for the future, asking her for the ad- 
vice he would need. But the new mother failed 
to fulfil his hopes. Even she did not under- 
stand the longings of his boyish heart; nor did 
she realize that the poor little neglected boy 
was measuring her by what he had imagined a 
true mother to be. She was kind to John; but 
that was all. Her time and attention were given 
to her husband; and John daily saw the gulf 
between his father and himself widening and 
deepening. A feeling of discord crept into 
John’s heart; all attraction for home was sev- 
ered ; and he felt that his happiness would have 
to be sought from other sources. 


VISITORS AND PASTIMES 


51 


Chapter VI 

Visitors and Pastimes 

During the winter that followed his father 
marriage, John^s stepmother’s brother came 
to live with the family ; and the influence of this 
stepuncle, whose name was E|d, was as had or 
worse than Will’s or Charley’s could ever have 
been; for Ed was older and wiser, and knew 
much more of sin. 

In Ed’s home both the father and the mother 
used tobacco a long time before their child was 
born. When he was just a little infant, he wor- 
ried and cried a great deal. He continued to do 
this, seemingly never to be satisfied, until 
finally the parents imagined that he wanted to- 
bacco; and sure enough he did. The mother 
tied a small amount in a rag and gave it to her 
baby to suck, and immediately he became quiet 
and contented. So, from that time she gave 
him tobacco to stop his crying. As he grew, 
the quantity he used gradually increased until, 
when he was in his teens, he spent much of his 
money for tobacco. He went without many of 
the necessary things of life in order that he 
might have the money those things would cost 
to spend for tobacco. 

The Bible tells us that God is abundant in 


52 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thou- 
sands and forgiving iniquity and transgression 
and sin, but that he will in no wise clear the 
guilty ; that he visits the iniquity of the fathers 
upon the children, and upon the children's chil- 
dren unto the third and to the fourth generation. 
Think of it! Parents may be sorry for their 
sins, and be forgiven for their transgressions; 
but their children must suffer from inherited 
ill-dispositions, unnatural appetites, or dis- 
eases, even to the fourth generation. Oh, what 
a responsibility is resting upon the parents of 
the future generations! 

Now, tobacco acts directly on the mind. It 
clouds the understanding and dulls the memory ; 
and sometimes it has much worse etfects. The 
story is told of the experience of a brilliant 
young man— a graduate from Andover College 
—who, for a time, seemed to have a wonderful 
future before him. After a few short success- 
ful years, however, all hopes were blighted; he 
was thrown into an insane asylum a physical 
wreck. The doctors said that tobacco had done 
it; but regardless of this, he was each day 
given, according to the rules of the asylum, a 
small quantity of tobacco. For twenty years 
he was in this seemingly hopeless condition; 
and then suddenly, one day as he was walking 
the floor, his reason returned, and he realized 


VISITORS AND PASTIMES 


53 


what was the matter. Throwing the ping of to- 
bacco through the iron grate of his cell, he 
said : ‘ ‘ What brought me here ? What keeps me 
here? Why am I here? Tobacco! tobacco! to- 
bacco! God help, help! I will never use it 
again ! ’ ’ 

He was restored ; and for ten years he 
preached the gospel. 

But not only does tobacco injure the mind; 
it also affects the blood and sensitive tissues 
and the different organs of the body, which in 
order to act normally and to do their work 
properly must be in healthful condition. WTien 
the blood becomes saturated with the deadly 
poison that comes from the pipe or cigar, and 
the soft membranes of the mouth become filled 
with the poisonous secretion from the quid, as 
a consequence, every member of the body be- 
comes affected, and disease and suffering are 
the final results. Lord Bacon said, ‘‘To smoke 
is a secret delight, serving to steal away men’s 
brains.” Many others have expressed them- 
selves in even louder terms against the evil ef- 
fects of tobacco; but we must now return to 
John and to Ed, his stepuncle. 

Soon after Ed came to live in the family, he 
paid a visit to a neighboring town; and while 
there, he stole from a store a case of plug to- 
bacco. This he stealthily brought to his sis- 


54 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


ter’s new home, confiding his secret to no one 
except John; and by generous promises he per- 
suaded John to say nothing about the matter. 
At this time John was in his thirteenth year. 
He still keenly felt that something was dread- 
fully missing in his life; so he turned to Ed, 
hoping to find that something in his compan- 
ionship. But again he was disappointed. The 
standard of Ed’s ideals wtere so far below the 
standard that John had fixed for himself that 
John was conscious of a constant repulsion in 
his heart toward Ed. As a consequence, John’s 
loneliness increased. 

About the time Ed arrived in the neighbor- 
hood, anothelr dangerous pastime wlas intro- 
duced. Dancing found a place in the social 
gatherings; and again John was an apt scholar. 
Before very long he was considered to he one of 
the best among the young people in this art; 
and for the time being he seemed to find real 
enjoyment in the amusement. There was a fas- 
cination about it that helped him partly to for- 
get his troubles and heartaches, also the dis- 
couragements with which he had been haunted 
so much of late. 

During the winter that followed, the social 
spirit increased and the months were full of 
changes and excitement. The uncle with whom 
John and his father had spent several years 


VISITORS AND PASTIMES 


55 


came with his family for a prolonged visit. A 
hearty welcome was given to the visitors, es- 
pecially by John; for regardless of the fact that 
in order to make room for the company he had 
to exchange his nice warm bed in the house for 
a less comfortable one in the sod cellar, he re- 
joiced in the thought that he could once more be 
with his old companion. Will. In fact, any 
change was appreciated by John in his restless, 
discontented frame of mind. 

The first evening the boys retired early, 
partly because they had no light and partly be- 
cause they wanted to visit about bygone days. 
They had so many things to say to each other ; 
and besides they wanted to lay their plans for a 
jolly time while they could be together. Will 
laughed heartily about John^s intense desire to 
become a man, and asked him how he felt about 
it now. It was in a discouraged tone of voice 
that John replied: 

‘‘There ain’t so much fun in it as I supposed. 
The older I get, the more unhappy I feel. Why, 
Will, there are times when I almost wish that 
I was dead. No one seems to care for me or 
to have any time to give me. It’s just ‘John 
here’ and ‘John there’; and if I dare to say 
anything, I’m laughed at or told to keep still. 
It was ditferent before Pa got married. Then 
he used to talk to me and try to help me when 


56 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


I got lonesome ; but now I just have to get along 
the best way I can. If I like anything it^s all 
right, and if I don’t it’s the same. 

‘‘I’ll just tell you, if it wasn’t for Pa, I’d run 
away from home! As for being a man, I don’t 
think that it is so wonderful after all. The men 
that I know are all so bad. Just look at Ed! 
I’m getting so that I can hardly endure Ed!” 

In reply to John’s great outburst of sorrow 
Will had no words of sympathy to offer. All 
that he could propose was that they could spend 
their evenings in playing cards (for Will too had 
learned many things since John had left; and 
card-playing was one of them). John was 
pleased with the suggestion; but he said, “I 
haven’t any cards.” As usual, however, he was 
quick to invent a way out of that difficulty and 
added: “Hey, Will! why couldn’t we make 
some ? I know where there ’s a lot of cardboard 
boxes that we could cut up. One could cut 
while the other marked them. You would know 
how to mark them, wouldn’t you?” 

“Yes; I tliink so,” Will answered. “We 
could do that all right in the daytime ; but how 
could we work in the dark? And does it get 
very cold in here?” 

“Oh, it doesn’t get so awful cold; and as for 
a light, I can get a dish of lard and put a rag 


VISITORS AND PASTIMES 


57 


in it which we can light! That wonT he a very 
good light; but I think we can get along.’’ 

The boys found that it was no small task 
to make the cards. First they had to cut the 
cardboard. This John did with a very sharp 
knife. Next, they drew hearts and diamonds 
and other necessary markings. To he sure, the 
set of cards was a very crude one when it was 
finished; and when the hoys began to shuffle 
them in the pack, they were disappointed be- 
cause of the bulky appearance and wished for 
a more perfect set. But John had done a good 
job in cutting them out, and the marking an- 
swered the purpose very well. So night after 
night, by the aid of the flickering and sputtering 
light, furnished by the rag burning in the 
saucer of lard, the two boys, with heads bent 
low, sat scheming and planning, each striving 
to get ahead of the other in the game. 

Long before Will’s visit was ended, both 
boys had become so skillful in playing that the 
one could scarcely get the better of the other 
unless one in some way cheated. This caused 
them to try many underhanded tricks and en- 
couraged them to bet and gamble ; and in course 
of time they had exchanged as wagers the 
greater part of their simple belongings. Tak- 
ing advantage of one another became a part 
of the game and seemingly was the principal 


58 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


aim. And the evenings that they did not spend 
in dancing were spent indulging in these dan- 
gerous amusements. (Card-playing— as does 
also dancing— wields an influence that is very 
harmful, especially to the young. As the in- 
terest in the game increases, the players’ de- 
sire for things that are good and wholesome 
is lessened. One player sees only the pleas- 
ure that he derives from getting the better of 
the one he is playing against. He fails to see 
that each time he stoops to unfair methods in 
order to gain his purpose he helps to pave the 
way for other things that are wrong and deceit- 
ful.) 

When the first warm days of spring arrived 
and the grass of the prairie began to unfold its 
tiny blades, John’s uncle said it was time for 
him and his family to return home. ‘‘It’s a 
long way. Will,” he said; “and we must get 
there in good time to plant a big crop of ‘to- 
baker.’ You remember we didn’t have near 
enough to do us last year!” Will agreed; but 
the boys were all sorry to be separated again, 
and when the day of departure came, it was 
very hard indeed for them to bid one another 
farewell. 

During the winter months John had not 
thought much about his aunt, for Will and he 
had been too deeply interested in other things. 


VISITORS AND PASTIMES 


59 


But now at the last moment that old longing 
again clutched his heart. When he saw them 
disappearing in the distance and finally lost 
them to view, like a flash the desire that had 
so long been smoldering within his heart was 
fanned, as it were, into a mighty flame, and in 
his mind he resolved what he would do. ‘‘I 
will stay in this home no longer!’^ he cried in 
his distress. ‘‘My father may miss me; but if 
I stay here, I shall die!’’ and going to his 
father, he stated his intentions. 


60 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


Chapter VII 

Leaving Home 

As John’s father looked into the deep pa- 
thetic eyes of his son, he in part understood 
the meaning of what he read. He could see that 
the soul of his child was crying out for some- 
thing; hut again he failed to understand the 
true longings of the young heart. He failed 
to see that the hoy was being crushed by sinful 
habits, and that for parental care and interest 
he was starving. In ignorance the father sup- 
posed that the boy’s unrest was due to a long- 
ing to know more of the world, to a feeling akin 
to that which an explorer experiences. 

Poor man! Gould he have known just then 
what really was troubling his boy, he could 
have stayed the spirit of unrest by holding out 
to John the olive branch of peace.” He could 
have said: ‘‘John, we have drifted apart. We 
are not to one another what we used to be. 
Stop, my boy; sit down here. Let us carefully 
talk these things over before you take such a 
step. Out in the wlorld you will meet many 
temptations and evils, more than you have ever 
known.” And many other tender words of ad- 
vice he might have spoken to the child ; but these 
things were left unspoken. 


LEAVING HOME 


61 


Instead, his father only said: ‘^John, I wonld 
like to have yon remain at home a while longer ; 
but if you are determined to go, you may, 
only remember to try to do as nearly right as 
you can! I have wanted to bring you up well 
for your mother’s sake; for she had made so 
many plans for your future. My wish, John, is 
that you become a good man.” 

J ohn was deeply touched by his father ’s fare- 
well speech ; and had there been any other draw- 
ing to keep him at home, he certainly would 
have remained. As it was, he soon gathered 
together his belongings, and while still in his 
thirteenth year, said good-by to his people, and 
went away to work for a thrifty farmer. 

During the two years preceding his departure 
from home, John had now and then worked for 
the farmers in different parts of the country. 
This and his attendance at the social gatherings 
had enabled him to become acquainted with 
numbers of hoys, some of whom were veiry 
wild and rough. But because of the compan- 
ionship of Will during the winter months, the 
evil influences of his wide circle of friends had 
not been so strong. But when the cousins were 
parted, John’s companions were again some of 
the roughest and toughest in the community. 
Because of this his tobacco and beer hills in- 



LEAVING THE OLD HOMESTEAD 







LEAVING HOME 


63 


creased, and to this alarming expenditure he 
added many accounts for whiskey. 

John had made a discovery. He had found 
that Ed, in order to satisfy the awful craving 
and gnawing in his stomach (a sensation pro- 
duced by the tobacco poison), was using a gen- 
erous supply of whiskey; and for the same 
reason John began to use it. Whiskey did per- 
haps satisfy for the time being; but John also 
discovered that the seemingly good etfect was 
very soon gone and that the old trouble was 
again there, only with renewed force and 
strength. Another thing he found, too, was that 
he had added to his list of evil habits one even 
more fierce and strong than the others. 

W^hen John left home, his desire was prin- 
cipally to find relief for his loneliness; but he 
had another object. His expenses had been 
heavy and hard to defray. And now with the 
amount he had to pay for his whiskey added to 
what he was already spending for beer and to- 
bacco, his bills were so high he felt that he must 
have more money in order to meet them. This 
seeming necessity was, therefore, one thing 
that urged him to take the step he took. 

The farmer for whom John began to work 
was known among his men as ‘‘the captain.” 
All the hired help worked under one manager, 


64 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


or boss ; so John’s experience while in this serv- 
ice was new and varied. 

‘^We have orders today to work for Parmer 
Z,” explained the boss one morning a few weeks 
after John’s arrival. ‘‘And the captain says 
we must be sure and get around there early in 
the morning, for wle are to get our breakfast 
over there. ’ ’ 

The home of Farmer Z was some distance 
from that of John’s employer; but the pranc- 
ing horses on which the men were to ride were 
soon carrying them across the prairie, and it 
was not long until they were in sight of Parmer 
Z’s modest farmhouse. As they entered the 
gateway, Parmer Z stepped into the doorway; 
and when he greeted the men with a kindly 
“Good morning,” John particularly noticed his 
countenance and expression and wondered why 
he was so different from the comrades with 
whom he had always associated. He noticed, 
too, that, as the men gathered in the dining- 
room and took their places around the table, 
they were quiet and reserved; and he was puz- 
zled by still another thing— Farmer Z bowed 
his head and thanked God for all of his bless- 
ings and benefits and goodness to them all. 

Such things were new and strange to John; 
and when at the close of the meal, the farmer 
invited them into another room, saying, “We 


LEAVING HOME 


65 


always have reading and prayer immediately 
after breakfast and would be glad to have yon 
all join with ns/^ John suddenly felt extremely 
awkward and out of place, and he longed to 
make his escape to the barn. 

J ohn could have given no reason for his feel- 
ings, unless it was that the farmer ^s suggestion 
of prayer made him think about his mother 
and of the time when his father had taught him 
the little prayer, ‘‘Now I lay me down to sleep,’’ 
and had told him that he very much desired him 
to be a little man. But it was not strange that 
John should feel as he did; for he had so often 
associated other scenes with that of learning 
the prayer, but had since that time heard very 
little about the Bible. In fact, the only part of 
the Bible that he had ever read was a few verses 
in the small New Testament that had belonged 
to his mother; and he had read these because 
he had heard that the reading of certain pas- 
sages would stop the toothache and relieve the 
nosebleed. He experimented one time when 
he had the nosebleed, and his nosebleed did 
stop; but he w'as not sure that it would not 
have stopped as soon had he not read the verses. 

Now, for some reason unknown to himself, 
John did not want to remain for worship; so 
when he noticed one of the other men slipping 
out of the back door, he quickly followed. The 


66 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


two were just about to enter the bam when the 
farmer, calling to them in words that were 
gentle but firm, said, ‘‘We always have our 
help come in with us for worship.’’ Seeing 
then that there was no way around going in ex- 
cept to stoutly refuse, the two returned to the 
house; and with the others they seated them- 
selves in the room where it was evident that 
the family-worship was to be held. This ex- 
perience was so entirely new to John that he 
actually suffered. He did not know what to 
do nor how to act. 

He observed that the children, the workmen, 
and the farmer’s wife, were all seated, so he sat 
down too. He also observed that the men had 
left their hats outside where they had washed; 
and this caused him to feel very strangely, be- 
cause he had his own in his hand. He dropped 
it, however, beside his chair; then he began to 
watch the children and to try to do just as they 
were doing. But as no two of the youngsters 
were doing the same thing, he again felt troub- 
led. The older members of the family, he no- 
ticed, sat very still; and suddenly John realized 
that they must be listening to the farmer, who 
had been reading. John knew that he had not 
heard one single word that had been read, and 
here the farmer was now saying, ‘ ‘ Let us pray. ’ ’ 

When they knelt beside their chairs, John 


LEAVING HOME 


67 


was again bewildered; but having decided to 
do jnst as nearly as he possibly conld the way 
the rest did, he too slipped down upon his knees. 
For some reason that he conld not understand 
a burning shame that seemed to benumb his 
whole being swept over him, and he could 
hardly hear the farmer ^s words; but he real- 
ized suddenly that the farmer was saying, 
‘^Dear Lord, bless the help today, and keep 
them from accidents and danger.^’ 

Hurriedly glancing around, John saw the 
children peeking from between their fingers; 
and hastily covering his own face with his 
hands, he gave a quick glance toward Mr. A, his 
boss. Mr. A was kneeling beside his chair, but 
was picking his teeth and looking out of the 
window. Just then the farmer said, '^Amen,” 
and they all arose. 

Then, as John compared his own attitude 
with that of Mr. A^s, another feeling of shame 
came over him; and for some time he kept 
asking himself, ^‘Why didnT I act unconcerned 
like the bossT^ But John was not a bad boy 
naturally. He was ignorant of what was right. 
He had never understood that there is a Sav- 
ior and that that Savior loved him and left an 
example for him to follow. To be sure, he had 
often heard both his Savior’s and his Creator’s 
names reviled and abused by his evil compan- 


68 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


ions. But he did not know that these were Be- 
ings to whom he could go when in trouble ; nor 
did he understand that in God’s sight he was 
a sinner. 

More than once that day while working, John 
thought of the farmer’s words and wondered if 
the prayer would have any effect upon the day. 
Some way he thought that it would, and he de- 
cided to watch and see. The day was ideal, and 
the help were orderly ; and God kept them free 
from accident and trouble. It was all a mystery 
to John, and he pondered over it along the way 
home and even during the night. Farmer Z had 
opened up a new channel for his thoughts. 


WITH THE CIRCUS 


69 


Chapter VIII 

With the Circus 

Ihiring the following year a circus that was 
passing through the country stopped at a town 
near by; and John, together with a number of 
his associates, attended some of the exhibi- 
tions. John’s interest was at once captivated, 
and he felt that it would be great to join the 
company and to act the part of the clown ; and 
he soon began to plan to secretly join them the 
following season. His visions of great wealth 
enlarged day by day, and in fancy he pictured 
a future of wonderful fame. 

In due time the show company returned. 
They gladly accepted John’s proposal to join 
them; and so John, with his few earthly possess- 
ions, to the surprize of all who knew him, dis- 
appeared from his home locality. But John 
seemed doomed to disappointment; the show- 
man’s life was not at all as he had pictured it. 
Instead of becoming fabulously rich in a fairy- 
like way, he was taken very ill and had soon 
lost all the money he did have. As soon, there- 
fore, as he was able, he returned to his friends 
at home, thoroughly disgusted with his under- 
taking ; he was a wiser lad than he was when he 
went away. 


70 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


But, although John was disgusted, he was 
not disheartened. When he was laughed at by 
his friends, he bravely bore their ridicule, and 
endeavored to look on the bright side of things. 
Also he explained to them that show life, on 
the outside and to the sightseer, was not at all 
what it was among the members of the com- 
pany; but that behind the curtains oaths were 
uttered, and abuse and nearly every kind of 
evils could be witnessed. 

When he was back once more among his old 
associates, he endeavored to pass away the time 
in as pleasant a way as possible. Card-playing, 
gambling, and dancing were his amusements, 
but tobacco and whisky were his enjoyments; 
and as before he was considered among his 
friends as a jolly good fellow. But John was 
not truly happy; beneath his superficial joy- 
ousness was a longing for something that he 
was unable to name or describe. 

Let us stop a moment and look at John. A 
glance tells us that a great change has taken 
place. The ruddy complexion and childish 
features were replaced by a sallow hue upon the 
sunken cheek ; and the roguish expression of the 
large brown eyes was lost in the haggard look 
that well accorded with the telltale cough and 
the stooping shoulders. The poisons of the to- 
bacco and whisky were doing their fatal work. 


WITH THE CIRCUS 


71 


His entire system was heavily charged with 
nicotine and alcohol; and the effect of these 
poisons constantly operating upon his nervous 
system and digestive organs had niade him hut 
a wreck of his former self. It is true that in 
stature he was as large as the man his father 
had desired him to he ; hut he was far from be- 
ing of the strong manly type that that parent 
would have had him to hecome. Instead, he was 
weakly ; and his body was never free from pain 
and suffering. 

The old adage that ignorance is bliss can 
never be aptly applied to nicotine and alcohol. 
For only those who let them both entirely alone 
can be truly happy or safe. When we examine 
what doctors have written about the use of these 
poisons, we find that alcohol as well as nicotine 
is a stimulant and a narcotic. As a stimulant, 
it excites the brain and nerves, quickens the 
circulation of the blood, and intoxicates (makes 
drunk) ; while as a narcotic it blunts the powers 
of the brain and nerves and produces stupor and 
death. 

Tests in the army, navy, and arctic explora- 
tions have definitely proved that alcohol is not 
a food. 

Alcohol will not allay thirst: ‘‘Alcohol has 
a great attraction for water; and when swal- 
lowed, it draws the water to itself, thus depriv- 


72 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


ing the tissues of the body of that most neces- 
sary inorganic food. Again, alcohol causes a 
rush of blood to the skin, which causes a sensa- 
tion of warmth to be felt upon the surface of 
the body. However, the sensation of heat is, 
like beauty, ‘only skin deep,’ as the heat of the 
system has really been diminshed rather than 
increased; because when the blood is upon the 
surface, it parts with its heat more readily.” 

I ‘ ‘ The effects of alcohol upon the heart may 
be summed up in the following statements : 

“(a) It causes a softening of the muscles of 
the heart, and a fatty degeneration, thus clog- 
ging the workings of this vital organ. 

“(b) It overworks the heart. 

“(c) Oftentimes it renders the heart weak 
and flabby. 

“(d) It causes an enlargement or dilation of 
its parts. 

“(e) There is a consequent effect of drowsi- 
ness and lassitude. 

“(f) Its general etfect upon the heart is to 
destroy its strength and usefulness.” 

II “Alcohol has the following etfects upon 
the lungs : 

“(a) It makes the blood impure, thus in- 
creasing the work of the lungs. 

“(b) It paralyzes the blood vessels. 


WITH THE CIRCUS 


73 


‘‘(c) It weakens the various lung tissues. 
“(d) It vitiates the breath.^’ 

III “Alcohors effects upon the stomach: 
“(a) Produces chronic inflammation of the 

stomach. 

“(h) Injures the mucous lining by hardening 
the tissues. 

‘‘(c) It destroys some of the small glands and 
impairs others. 

“(d) It precipitates the pepsin of the gas- 
tric juice, thus retarding digestion. 

“(e) It thickens the mucus of the stomach. 
“(f) The action of the stomach is at first 
quickened by the presence of alcohol, and then 
retarded.’’ 

IV ‘ ‘ The effects of alcohol upon the liver may 
be: 

“(a) It produces a hardened condition of its 
tissues. 

“(h) Enlarges the organ. 

“(c) Compresses and lessens the cells for 
producing bile. 

“(d) Stimulates the liver to overaction, thus 
reducing the bile supply. 

“(e) It weakens and destroys the usefulness 
of this organ of digestion.” 

V “Effect of alcohol upon the blood and 
blood-vessels : 


74 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


“(a) It thins and coagulates the blood ac- 
cording to the amount of alcohol. 

^‘(b) It hastens the circulation, thus weak- 
ening it. 

‘‘(c) It prevents combustion. 

“(d) It impairs and destroys the corpuscles, 
thus affecting their powers of transporting ox- 
ygen and carbonic acid gas. 

“(e) It weakens the arterial muscles by ef- 
fecting the nerves governing them.’’ 

VI “Effects of alcohol upon the brain and 
nerves are: 

“ (a) It causes apoplexy and epilepsy by con- 
fusing the brain. 

“(b) It weakens the will and deadens the 
feelings. 

“(c) It hardens the brain tissues, producing 
dullness, insensibility, and insanity. 

“ (d) It destroys the nerve fiber of the brain. 

“(e) It temporarily stimulates and finally 
depresses this organ. 

“(f) It will at last destroy man, body and 
soul. ’ ’ 

“Alcohol leads every other drug in its far- 
reaching influence for mischief and evil. Were 
the thousands of ruined homes, the untold num- 
bers of blasted lives, the sorrows, the sins, num- 
berless crimes, murders, and deaths brought in 


WITH THE CIRCUS 


75 


panoramic review before ns, wbat a hell-bom 
picture it would be ! ’ ’ 

^‘The effect of alcohol upon the morals is 
awful. All delicacy, courtesy, and self-respect 
are gone ; the sense of justice and right is faint 
or quite extinct. There is no vice into which 
the victim of drunkenness does not easily slide ; 
and no crime from which he can be expected 
to refrain. Between this condition and insan- 
ity there is but a single step.’^ 

These are only a part of the many evils that 
come to the one who takes alcohol into his sys- 
tem. We have already heard something about 
the effects of nicotine, the poison that is in to- 
bacco. The constant use of either poison will 
impair the health of the strongest person. It 
saps the mind of its reasoning qualities ; and in 
nine cases out of ten, leaves the victim without 
sufficient strength to seek and obtain his own 
deliverance or to live a righteous life. But let 
us return now to John. 


76 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


Chapter IX 

Caught Unawares 

At the age of eighteen John had come almost 
to the point of discouragement. His health 
was so poor that he did not know a well mo- 
ment; and besides, his longing sonl was still 
unsatisfied. He had always desired to he good 
and kind to all ; hut he did not know how to rise 
to a nobler plane of conduct than that on which 
he was living. He judged men by their moral 
conduct, and not by their spiritual life. In 
fact, he had very little, if any comprehension, 
of Christianity. He knew of a few, like Farmer 
Z., who professed religion; hut he was afraid 
of these and he avoided their company. 

He had now and then, with a number of other 
boys about his own age, visited some places 
where religious services were being held. But 
their object in going was to have a good time ; 
and they seldom remained long enough to de- 
rive any good. On one of these occasions they 
went to a small schoolhouse that was located 
a few miles from the town of 0. The meeting 
had been widely advertised, and a goodly num- 
ber were in attendance; and when John and his 
companions had taken their seats well to the 
rear, there was only standing-room left. Guri- 


CAUGHT UNAWARES 


77 


osity was pictured on every face; for the min- 
isters (one elderly, the other young) were two 
modestly dressed women, and lady preachers 
had never been heard of in that part of the 
country. 

The singing wlas beautiful! John thought 
that the songs were sweeter than any he had 
ever heard. When prayer was being offered, 
he listened carefully to every word; and when 
he heard the ministers address God as their 
Father, asking him to direct them in all that 
they did and said, and to prepare the hearts 
of the people to receive the truths that they 
were about to speak, he was instantly filled 
with wonder and awe. 

After they rose from prayer, another song 
was sung; and then the elderly lady began to 
address the people. As she read in a clear, 
sweet voice a chapter from the Scriptures, John 
listened carefully. The account of the woes 
pronounced upon the people who would not do 
right and the promises made to those who would 
live right and were prepared to die, were truly 
wfonderful. Especially was he impressed with 
one verse she read, though he realized very lit- 
tle of what it meant: ‘‘Therefore he ye also 
ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the 
Son of man cometh.’^ 

When this speaker took her seat, the other 


78 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


lady, a young, sweet-faced girl, arose, and said 
a few words. After telling of how she had 
been converted, and of how the Savior had ever 
since supplied all the longings of her heart and 
had enabled her by his grace to live a life that 
was pure and spotless, she spoke of her home 
in heaven; and then she told the people that 
God would do the same for others as he had for 
her— for every one who would give up evil 
habits and forsake sin, and who would love his 
Son, whom he had sent to the earth to suffer 
and die that all people might be saved. John 
listened to every word ; and as the girl sat down, 
he thought, ^‘Why, I would give everything 
that I have in the world to he able to say such 
things about myself!’^ 

When making the announcements, the elderly 
lady said : ^ ‘ This meeting will he continued for 
three weeks or more, and wie want as many of 
you as can to attend regularly; for there will 
he many portions of the Bible explained, and 
we want every one to learn what is the road to 
success and to find out how to be truly happy. 
John at once decided that he would attend ev- 
ery service; but since at the same time he felt 
an interest similar to that which had inspired 
him to become a showman, he remembered that 
bitter experience and ground his teeth. Ke was 
about to change his decision to attend the meet- 


CAUGHT UNAWARES 


79 


ings regularly, when he remembered the words, 
‘‘Therefore he ye ready: for in such an hour as 
ye think not the Son of man cometh ! ^ ’ 

Instantly he beheld a great panoramic view 
of his past life, and many of the evils that had 
never before appeared to him as sin were 
painted with the blackest dyes. He had not 
meant to be wicked, hut he suddenly realized 
that his life had been wasted ; and he concluded 
that he was not ready to meet Christ. But John 
believed that Christ would come to the earth, 
and he felt that he would give anything to be 
ready to meet Him. 

As John, whenever he was perplexed or 
troubled, had been in the habit of doing, he 
reached down into his pocket and drew out 
a large plug of tobacco and began biting oif a 
piece to chew. But what was the matter? The 
tobacco did not taste as it had in the past ; and 
it appealed to him so differently. It was now 
actually disgusting and repulsive to him; and 
he thought : “What a filthy habit ! And to think 
of the time and money that it has cost me ! WTiy 
have I been so foolish?’’ 

The next instant he resolved that he would 
never again taste the horrid stuff. And very 
soon a few scenes of things that happened when 
he was under the influence of whiskey came to 
his mind, and he shuddered. Never again would 


80 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


he touch that stuff, he determined. In fact, the 
greater part of the night John spent in review- 
ing his life; and he found that the larger por- 
tion of the things he had been doing were things 
he would not w'ant to be found doing at the Sav- 
ior ^s coming. 

The following day John could hardly wait 
until the time came when he could again return 
to the little brown schoolhouse to hear more of 
the beautiful story that had so charmed him. 
And night after night found J ohn in one of the 
seats in the rear of the building. It was not long 
until he discovered the pathway to heaven; he 
saw it bathed with heaven ^s sunshine and could 
see that it was for him to walk upon. But the 
next thing was for him to make the start. 

It is one thing to decide that a certain thing 
is right and quite another thing to take a stand 
(regardless of what any one may think or say) 
for the right. He had heard the preachers tell- 
ing about the life of a Christian, the Savior’s 
love and death, and God’s great mercy, night 
after night for two weeks; but no invitation 
to come forward had been given to those desir- 
ing to make a change in their manner of living. 
The ministers desired that each one be given 
a full understanding of God’s plan of salvation 
so that none would take a step in the dark. 

John was fully decided to change his manner 


CAUGHT UNAWARES 


81 


of living ; but be did not want to make any more 
mistakes. For this reason he restrained him- 
self from going to the motherly lady to inquire 
of her what he had better do. His old desire 
to become a man had revived, but this time he 
desired to be a man after God^s own heart- 
pure and holy— like the one that God created in 
the beginning. 

The time for an invitation to be given to the 
penitent finally came. Upon entering the meet- 
ing-house that evening John noticed a slight 
change in the arrangement of the seats. The 
long row of chairs supplied by kind-hearted 
neighbors to help in seating the people had been 
removed, and a long, narrow bench had been 
put in their place. John wondered at the change, 
but did not have to wonder long. An announce- 
ment was soon made, stating that the bench was 
to serve as an altar, where those who desired 
to be converted and who wanted to consecrate 
their lives and services to God could gather for 
prayer. 

An explanation was also made to the effect 
that, though God is pleased to see people hum- 
ble themselves before him, there was no virtue 
in the wooden altar ; it was simply a more con- 
venient place to bow for prayer than their 
seats would be. The services were shorter than 
usual ; and when the invitation to come forward 


82 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


was given to those who desired to yield their 
hearts to God, John was ready. He longed to 
go ; hut although he had learned a great many 
things, he was still uncertain just what was 
meant by bowing at the altar ; and as he wanted 
to do the right thing, he decided to wait until 
he saw how the others would do. He did not 
have long to wait; for a girl in front of him 
arose, went forward, and knelt down beside the 
altar. This was enough for John, because it 
taught him just what he desired to know; and 
he was soon kneeling beside her. That night 
was indeed a wonderful time. One by one the 
people flocked to the front part of the room; 
and John afterwards learned that many of his 
friends and even those whom he thought would 
ridicule and make fun of him, were among the 
number that, as himself, had sought and found 
pardon for their sins. 

The invitation lasted a long time; and when 
it was ended, the ministers knelt down among 
the penitent seekers, thanked God for the tender 
mercies he had extended to the lost world, and 
prayed that those who were at the altar might 
understand what true salvation is. After pray- 
ing, they explained carefully what it meant to 
be redeemed from all sin, and told the seekers 
hoW God looked upon the sin-cursed world and 
its awful wickedness, hut also how he was so 


CAUGHT UNAWARES 


83 


moved with tender love and compassion that 
he sacrificed the brightest Gem of glory— even 
his only begotten Son— to be a Redeemer for all 
who would believe on him and turn from their 
evil ways. 

The redemption price, they said, was great; 
but nothing less could have proved so well 
God’s great love for mankind. And they quoted 
from the Bible, ‘^Por God so loved the world, 
Ihat he gave his only begotten Son, that who- 
soever believeth in him should not perish, but 
have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son 
into the world to condemn the world; but that 
the world through him might be saved” (John 
3:16, 17); also, ‘‘The Son of man is come to 
seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 
19:10). These words were as a soothing balm 
to John’s aching heart. Having been fully 
awakened to his awful condition and made to 
long for the way of deliverance, he rejoiced as 
these rays of hope came streaming down into 
his soul. 

One by one he recalled his sins — smoking 
and chewing tobacco, drinking whisky and 
beer, stealing, lying, card-playing, betting, 
gambling, and many other things ; but these he 
had already given up. One thing only came to 
his mind that caused him a struggle, and for 
a few moments it seemed that he could not give 


84 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


that up. John loved to dance, and it had seemed 
to him that there was nothing wrong with that 
pastime. Since he knew none of the pleasures 
that the Christian enjoys, this was not strange. 
Always he had danced just for the pleasure he 
derived from dancing, and he considered danc- 
ing an innocent amusement. When, however, 
he was made aware of the evils of dancing and 
the temptations it causes boys and girls whose 
characters are weak, he could see how that to 
some it might mean the loss of virtue ; and, too, 
he found that much of his suffering had been 
caused by the late hours that dancing and other 
things had caused him to keep. Then he gladly 
bade adieu to the dance-hall and all its trivial 
gaiety. 

After he had asked the Lord to pardon him 
for his transgressions, his simple faith took 
hold of the promises and he received a clear 
wiitness of his acceptance as a child of God. At 
last, after so many weeks and months — yes, 
years— of dissatisfaction, he was indeed truly 
happy ; and the deep aching in his hungry heart 
was replaced by the Savior’s love. His com- 
panions, too, went away from that service re- 
joicing. Their language, once so rough and 
vile, was now becoming to any Christian; and 
the things that they had loved, no longer at- 
tracted their attention. In fact, the entire neigh- 


CAUGHT UNAWARES 


85 


borhood was changed; for many haunts of sin 
and vice were entirely vacated. 

J ohn soon found that it was his duty to make 
all of his wrongs right as far as it lay in his 
power to do so ; and this he gladly did. In many 
instances he was surprized to see the effect that 
this act of obedience had upon the ones con- 
cerned. Many, with tears in their eyes, ex- 
claimed, ‘‘John, I only wish that I possessed 
the joy in my own heart that I can see written in 
your face ! ’ ’ 


86 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


Chapter X 

A Child Again 

No one could doubt the change in John’s life; 
and many wondered how such a thing could 
have been accomplished. But they did not real- 
ize that with God all things are possible. How 
well it was for John that he discovered before it 
was too late that he was a sinner, lost in God ’s 
sight, and that it was necessary for him to 
forsake all of his evil ways and habits if he 
would be freed from the binding chain of Satan ! 
Each sinful habit formed a link in the chain, 
and its strength could be measured only by what 
it took to release him from its binding power. 

John was sorry to see the meetings close; 
and as he bade the sweet-faced women farewell, 
he was loathe to see them go, because of their 
Christian influence. But life to him was no 
longer what it had been in the past. With the 
poet, he had found that 

“Life is reall life is earnest! 

And the grave is not its goal’; 

Dust thou art, to dust returnest 
Was not spoken of the soul.’’ 


He procured a Bible and studied it diligently. 
He soon found that it was a wonderful book. 


A CHILD AGAIN 


87 


for what troubled him in one part was explained 
in another. One day while reading in the tenth 
chapter of Mark, he found to his surprize that, 
instead of his being a man, he was only a child, 
a mere babe, in God’s sight. John had expected 
to be changed and to be different in every way, 
but he did not know that, in order to realize 
his desire to be a ‘‘man after God’s own heart,” 
he must commence at the beginning and be as a 
little child again. But he was willing; for he 
saw how his past life had been completely 
wasted, and he was glad to begin anew. 

In the second chapter of I Peter, John found 
much encouragement, also in 1 Cor. 13:11, 
where he read: “When I was a child, I thought 
as a child: but when I became a man, I put 
away childish things.” Again he was deter- 
mined to become a man, and to develop as 
quickly as possible. From that time on he 
availed himself of every opportunity to do good 
to all mankind, and this was no hardship. His 
great whole-hearted nature made him love to do 
good and to be a help to all who were in need. 

At other times John read the conversation 
between Christ and Nicodemus, and the account 
of how Jesus thanked his heavenly Father fo: 
hiding his truths from the wise and prudent 
and for revealing them to babes. John was not 
long in perceiving the mystery concerning the 


88 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


new birth, for he had gained the experience ; and 
he thanked God that it had been revealed to him. 

Once while studying the Word of God, John 
discovered that the twelfth chapter of 1 Cor- 
inthians teaches that Christian people on the 
earth represent Christ’s spiritual body. As 
the natural body possesses many members— 
hands, feet, eyes, ears, nose, etc.— each having 
its own special work, just so the spiritual body 
of which he (Christ) is the head has many mem- 
bers to carry on the Lord’s work on the earth. 
And, as in the human body, each member has 
its own work to do; similarly, in the spiritual 
body, each member has his own work to per- 
form. Some preach, some teach, some perform 
miracles, some (perhaps all) pray for the sick, 
and some do various other things, each as he is 
directed; but all work in harmony. The mem- 
bers are all assigned their work and places in 
the body by the directions of the heavenly 
Father. 

From reading the second chapter of Acts, 
John found that soon after Christ ascended to 
heaven God sent his Holy Spirit to the earth 
to superintend the work of the members of his 
Son’s spiritual body, or saved people, and that 
this same Holy Spirit is still guiding and help- 
ing them. He also read in 1 John 2:15— ‘‘Love 
not the world, neither the things that are in the 


A CHILD AGAIN 


89 


world. If any man love the world, the love of 
the Father is not in him.’’ 

By reading further in the apostle John’s epis- 
tle, John discovered that there are many false 
spirits in the world that are trying to deceive 
God’s people and that it is often necessary to 
try the spirits to know which are right. He saw 
that the test is love. If any one loves God and 
his Son, Jesus, more than anything else in the 
world, and feels as much interest in his neigh- 
bor’s welfare as in his own, that one can be 
sure that he is God’s own child. And Paul’s 
letter to the Ephesians tells of an armor that 
God has prepared for his people to wear that 
will enable them to overcome all false spirits. 

A Sunday-school was soon started in the 
neighborhood and John was chosen to be the 
teacher of the infant class. At first he tried to 
plead his inability, but no one would listen to 
his excuses. He was glad afterward; for he 
learned to love the little ones very dearly. While 
he was meeting with the children Sunday after 
Sunday, he often thought of many of the hard 
places through which he had passed when he 
was a child and remembered that it was because 
he had not been warned that he had one step 
at a time gone down until he was in misery and 
on the verge of despair. So John sought to 
throw light on each one of these dangerous 


90 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


places and to point out the dangers so clearly 
that the children could plainly see and under- 
stand the wrong for themselves before they 
were beguiled and then bound by Satan’s chain 
of evil habits. In this way he helped the chil- 
dren to escape many a snare by which they 
might otherwise have been caught unawares. 

As the weeks sped by into months and John 
continued to unfold to the tender questioning 
minds the hidden mysteries of the Bible, the 
adult class became interested; and it was not 
long until they decided that they needed him for 
their class more than the children did for theirs. 
While he was teaching the advanced Bible class, 
his own understanding of spiritual things was 
greatly broadened and strengthened, and he be- 
came one on whom the entire congregation could 
lean and in whom they could confide. 

On one occasion when the lesson was in the 
epistle of James, John found by reading the 
fifth chapter of that book that Jesus is just as 
able and ready to heal those who are sick as 
he was to relieve sufferers in days gone by and 
that any who are afflicted may pray expecting 
to be healed. He quickly applied the scripture 
to himself and began to pray thus: 

‘‘Lord, thou seest how I am afflicted because 
of the sinful habits that I formed in my child- 
hood. Thou hast now taken from me the de- 


A CHILD AGAIN 


91 


sire for these things, hut the sutfering in my 
back and lungs is so intense. Lord Jesus, heal 
me ! Make me well, and I will work for thee all 
the days of my life!^’ 

God answered that prayer and made him 
strong and well; then he could say with the 
Psalmist, ‘‘Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and for- 
get not all his benefits : who forgiveth all thine 
iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.’’ Oh, 
the goodness of the Lord to John! He felt 
that he never could cease praising Him. 

The sad and lonely past, the days of his vain 
struggles to become the man that his earthly 
father had desired him to be, could never be 
compared to these days of happiness, the days 
when his desires to attain to true manhood were 
being realized. His heart was lonely no longer. 
He had found a Friend who was dearer than 
a mother could have been. And he felt that it 
is a wonderful privilege to be a member in 
Christ’s body, the church. 


92 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


Chapter XI 

How John Became a Man 

As the news of John’s wonderful conversion 
and of his work among the people spread 
throughout the country, it reached the ears of 
Farmer Z, in whose home John for the first 
time had attended family worship. The kind- 
hearted man had never forgotten the hoy who 
had endeavored to make his escape to the barn 
rather than to come into the sitting-room at the 
worship hour, and he felt a desire to have a 
good heart-to-heart visit with John and to know 
just how he came to find the Lord. John was, 
therefore, very much surprized one day to hear 
that this good gentleman, of whom he had in 
the past been so fearful, was desiring to see 
him. But he w*as glad; for he, too, had felt a 
great desire to talk with Farmer Z, the one who 
was first to open his heart to a ray of heavenly 
sunshine. 

^ ^ I have been hearing wonderful stories about 
you of late, my boy,” the farmer said as John 
approached him; and as he took the young 
man’s hand, his hearty handshake sent the 
blood tingling through John’s veins. ‘‘Come,” 
the farmer continued, “sit down and tell me 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


93 


what it was that brought about the change. My 
boy, I understand that you are already getting 
to be quite a preacher. Is it trueT’ 

^‘Well, Mr. Z,’’ John modestly replied, 
hardly know what answer to make, except that 
it was the work of my Savior. I am like the 
poor beggar who was blind— ^ one thing I know, 
that, whereas I was blind, now I see.’ The 
same Jesus that healed the blind man has op- 
ened my spiritual eyes, making me to see and 
understand what never before seemed possi- 
ble.” 

Then as John related some of his Christian 
experiences, the farmer was made to wonder 
at the loving-kindness and the great mercy of 
his God. 

John,” he said, as he looked into the beam- 
ing eyes of the young man and noted the boyish 
face but manly form (for there was scarcely a 
trace of the early dissipation left), see that 
you have found the genuine article. God has 
worked a miracle in your life, and I guess he 
wants you to go and tell the world about it. 
How is it my boy? Do you feel like preaching 
the gospel?” 

And then it was that John in his simple, earn- 
est manner, for which he was so loved and ad- 
mired, said: 

‘‘Mr. Z, I feel as though some power within 



JOHN BEFORE HIS CLASS 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


95 


me is leading me about ; and I long to tell every 
one I meet of the Jesus, who so loved the lost 
world that he laid down his life upon the cross. 
It seems I can think of little else. ’ ’ 

‘‘That^s it! That^s it!’’ Farmer Z exclaimed; 
‘ ^ God has put his Holy Spirit in your heart and 
has called you into his harvest-field to go forth 
and help spread the gospel. Go, my boy; and 
may God speed your footsteps in ways crowned 
with blessings of success. I rejoice with you in 
your calling and shall pray for you. When 
trials come your way— and they will— remem- 
ber that there is always a light in God’s win- 
dow for the faithful, a light that will guide 
them safely home at the last. Remember also 
that he has said, ‘Be thou faithful unto death.’ ” 
When the farmer bade John adieu, the sun 
had disappeared beyond the horizon and the 
crimson shades were gathering in the western 
sky. The landscape that stretched before him 
was beautiful. Ajid while John was not uncon- 
scious of these beautiful surroundings, by his 
inner vision, which could not be limited by the 
vast prairie country with its varied possibili- 
ties, he looked upon another scene far beyond 
—he saw the heavenly city, the New Jerusa- 
lem, once beheld by the sainted John; and he 
wondered wihat could be more grand and majes- 
tic. 


96 


HOW JOHN BECAME A MAN 


John had at last developed into a noble- 
hearted Christian, whose greatest desire in life 
was to please his God, and to spend his time 
wholly in God’s service; and one day a few 
years later he stood on the deck of a large At- 
lantic steamer and waved farewell to his friends 
on the shore. H;e was bound for a far-distant 
land; God was sending him as a missionary to 
carry the gospel to the people of another coun- 
try. 

His large brown eyes, sorrowful no longer, 
were dimmed by tears of farewell ; but the tears 
only made them shine the brighter. They wit- 
nessed to the gladness of his heart; and to the 
eagerness within his bosom pushing him for- 
ward. 

John had at last become a man after God’s 
own heart. 



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